Synopsis
The sin-steeped story of today's
A teenager finds her wayward sister running with thieves in San Francisco.
Live Fast, Die Young
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Alternative Title
Pressés de vivre
Releases by Date
Theatrical
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USANR
Releases by Country
USA
01 Apr 1958
- TheatricalNR
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Today, I decided to watch the film that had been on my Watchlist the longest. However, I soon discovered why it had been unwatched for so long ... it was devilishly difficult to find! Despite being a 1958 release from Universal International ... and from Director Paul Henreid who was better known as Victor Lazlo in CASABLANCA and Jeremiah in NOW, VOYAGER ... none of my usual streaming sources had it, and it was not available to rent or buy from Amazon.
In short, it seemed to have lived fast and died young.
Finally, I saw that someone had posted it on YouTube, so it had apparently fallen out of copyright and been ignored by its former owners. Obviously, that…
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It was pointed out in an earlier post by fellow Letterboxd’r Jim Dooley that actor turned director Paul Henreid’s 1958 release “Live Fast, Die Young” was an elusive find and he was right!
Now, thanks to a benevolent individual the film has been uploaded on YouTube and Jim being the “hep cat” that he is made me aware. My only recollection of the film was its engagement at the Lyric Theater in Charleston, West Virginia. The print utilized looking like a VHS rip from a rough 35mm copy complete with jump cuts, vertical scratches and opaque splices only added to my enjoyment of it.
Released in April of 1958 by Universal Pictures back when they still included the word “International”…
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A disaffected teenager (Norma Eberhardt), angry at her straight-arrow big sister (Mary Murphy) and their grouchy single dad (Gordon Jones), resolves on the title course of action. (Well, half of it, anyway.)
She runs away from home, and she starts hustling drinks, hitchhiking, rolling drunks, stealing cars, and using her kittenish wiles to get ahead in the world.
Will the straight-arrow be able to track down the wild child and save her from herself?
I click play on this kind of thing hoping for a zippy thrill ride. Alas, this slow boat has undercurrents of child abuse, sexual harassment, deadbeat dads, and attempted assault, and all of that spoils the fun.
The third act rambles weirdly as the girl gets mixed up with a jewel thief (Mike Connors). Troy Donahue shows up as one of his henchmen.
Workmanlike teensploitation, inexplicably directed by screen legend Paul Henreid.
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🎶As for you, Troy Donahue
I know what you wanna DO**Troy Donahue wants to play a bit part two-thirds into this movie, heralding its shift from a rapey teen melodrama to a hardboiled heist thriller
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Hamtastic teen runaway tale with hot chick Norma Eberhardt scamming dopes, dodging rapists, hitching rides and being generally bad.
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With Paul Henreid directing, you get far more than you expect from this late '50s tale of sisters gone wrong. He works valiantly to create interest through camerawork, depth in a thin script, & performances from D list actors (Mike Connors excepted!) To a surprising extent he succeeds! It's a little long for the genre but definitely watchable.